THE DEVELOPMENT OF BIOCHEMICAL-ENGINEERING SCIENCE IN EUROPE

Biochemical engineering science is the fundamental research into all a spects of the interactions between engineering and other disciplines n ecessary to underpin the development of industrial-scale biologically- based processes. Its importance to European industry, justifying its i ncorporation into the Framework IV Programme, and the need to maintain a strong activity within Europe in this exciting field are emphasised . Some challenges and opportunities are discussed. The need for an int egrated multidisciplinary and rational approach providing industry wit h strategies for process selection, design and operations based on gen eric principles and guidelines is highlighted. (C) 1997 Elsevier Scien ce B.V.